Mt Mee: A Botanical Wonderland on Brisbane’s Doorstep

Author: Glenn Leiper

Published: Journal December 2022 

Image Above: One of myriad dirt roads criss-crossing Mount Mee through Scribbly Gum forests

My first introduction to Mount Mee was back in the early 1980s when I was a keen young enthusiastic member of ANGFA (Australia New Guinea Fishes Assoc) and we had a field trip to Diana’s Bath, at the base of the Mount Mee expanse. I’d heard about some interesting plants there, so as is often the case I wandered off from the group during our ‘lunch break’ munching on my sandwiches as I walked over the creek up onto a steep rocky slope and explored the boulder outcrops and steep slopes overlooking the swimming hole below where the rest of the group was.

It was here I found the plant that whetted my appetite and provided the impetus to return to look at solely the plants next time – Crowea Crowea exalata subsp. magnifolia, with both the ‘standard’ startling pink flowering form and the rare white flowering form as well. Along with this wonderful species, was an unusual Plectranthus (now Coleus), a stunted Rulingia, and countless other plants in flower. I was hooked … I had to return.

Mount Mee Plectranthus Coleus leiperi often forms large populations on rock outcrops

The rugged mountainous area of Mount Mee in the D’Aguilar Range, NNW of Brisbane, approximately 27km west of Caboolture, is a small rural community of roughly 500 residents, with its highest elevation of 550 metres, providing magnificent views especially to the east. The name Mount Mee was derived from the local indigenous word mia-mia meaning ‘view’ or ‘lookout’. However, the local Indigenous people called the area ‘Dahmongah’ which referred to the numerous marsupial gliders there. Timber getters in 1873 came to the area searching for and harvesting the much-prized Red Cedars Toona ciliata that occurred in the rainforest areas of Mount Mee.

Today the area is dominated by farming (dairy and beef cattle) and is becoming increasingly popular for residential areas. The Mount Mee Forest Reserve and D’Aguilar National Park protect the large areas of forest, popular with visitors, with picnic areas, camping grounds, off-road driving tracks for 4WDs and mountain bikes as well as horses and hikers. In typical forestry and national parks style though, signposting on the myriad tracks and dirt roads is minimal or non-existent.

Mount Mee is of volcanic origin with areas of basalt and rhyolite. The forested areas contain mainly eucalypt forests often dominated by Scribbly Gums Eucalyptus racemosa, rainforests and also some areas of montane heath. The understorey in the eucalypt forests is similar in composition to some of the Sunshine Coast coastal heaths, although some other unusual plants occur here as well, more in line with some of the montane heath species in the Mount Barney region.

After my initial brief exploration of the plants at Diana’s Bath, I found out that Jan Sked knew the area very well. Initially it was through her and husband Greg’s trips there in car rallies, but also her later bushwalks and botanical field trips. Jan sent me a species list and then soon after I joined an SGAP field trip to Mount Mee with Jan as the leader and my eyes were opened wide to the huge plant diversity in evidence during that visit.

Since those early excursions, I’ve been visiting Mount Mee regularly and trying to explore different sections, including a long day’s scramble up from Diana’s Bath to the mountain ridge above, but there’s so much to see and I’d say so much still botanically unexplored.

Dominated by volcanic rhyolite, a very acidic and nutrient-deficient soil, there are some very interesting plants including some with their nearest populations in NSW or near the Queensland-NSW border. Terrestrial orchid species abound, and there are some relatively recently discovered species still unnamed.

Cow Orchid Cryptostylis subulata bearing a faint resemblance to a cow’s head

Donkey Orchids Diuris sulphurea form small populations on some of the grassy ridges in the eucalypt forests

The best way to see the plants at Mount Mee, is to go for a drive along the forestry tracks, or do some walking along some of the hiking trails, and stopping as you go … wherever you stop you’ll see some interesting plants for sure. Vehiclewise, a 4WD is best as there are some rough, rocky tracks and even some sections of loose sand. However, the main forestry roads, all unsealed, are reasonably driveable in 2WD unless there’s been considerable rain.

Here’s a ‘brief’ list of some of the unusual and interesting plants –

The only Queensland population of Crowea Crowea exalata subsp. magnifolia, the ground-hugging Drumsticks Isopogon petiolaris, Conesticks Petrophile canescens, Woolly Pomaderris Pomaderris lanigera and Thick-leaved Pomaderris P. crassifolia, Olive-leaved Bertya Bertya oleifolia, Hairy-leaved Kerrawang Commersonia dasyphylla and Sage-leaved Kerrawang C. salviifolia (formerly Rulingia), Hop Goodenia Goodenia ovata and Variable-leaved Goodenia G. heterophylla subsp. teucriifolia, Baeuerlen’s Wattle Acacia baeuerlenii, Hairy Wattle Acacia hispidula, Sticky Wattle Acacia viscidula, Myrtle Wattle Acacia myrtifolia, Short-leaved Beard Heath Styphelia (formerly Leucopogon) recurvisepalus, Lemon-scented Tea Tree Leptospermum petersonii, Plunkett Mallee Eucalyptus curtisii, Mountain Wedding Bush Ricinocarpos speciosus, Small-leaved Milk Vine Leichhardtia (formerly Marsdenia) fraseri, the only Queensland population of ‘Mount Mee’ Rusty Petals Lasiopetalum parviflorum, Hairy Match Heads Comesperma hispidulum, Prickly Bottlebrush Melaleuca williamsii subsp. fletcheri whose other Queensland populations are on the Granite Belt, Narrowleaved Bottlebrush M. linearis, Mount Mee Plectranthus Coleus leiperi, the needle-leaved Silky Hakea Hakea sericea, Mountain Violet Viola silicestris and Hairy Cliff Violet V. perreniformis, Small-fruited Fan Flower Scaevola albida, Wallum Dampiera Dampiera sylvestris, Currant Bush Leptomeria acida with its edible but highly acidic fruit, the small clumping Mountain Mat Rush Lomandra confertifolia subsp. confertifolia, Wedge Guinea Flower Hibbertia diffusa and a huge shrubsized form of Hairy Guinea Bush H. vestita, Hairpin Banksia Banksia spinulosa and Dwarf Banksia B. oblongifolia, and a large range of peas including Pultenaeas, Beaked Parrot Pea Phyllota phylicoides, Native Sarsaparilla Hardenbergia violacea, Bossiaeas, Leafless Globe Pea Sphaerolobium vimineum, Tall Golden Tip Goodia lotifolia, Holly-leaved Pea Podolobium ilicifolium and Hookleaved Wedge Pea Gompholobium uncinatum also found on the Mount Barney region peaks. Orchids include Donkey Orchid Diuris sulphurea, Greenhoods Pterostylis species, Pink Rock Orchid Dendrobium kingianum, Beard Orchids Calochilus species, Corunastylis species (formerly Genoplesium), Parson’s Bands Eriochilus cucullatus and Cow Orchid Cryptostylis subulata.

And I’ve been told of a perched swamp off-track where a population of Christmas Bells Blandfordia grandiflora was seen a long time ago, but no official records or Herbarium specimens of it exist unfortunately. Now that would be an interesting trip.

Mount Mee is one of the richest locations in south-east Queensland for plant diversity, and because of its immense size, steep rocky slopes and gorges, and undulating terrain with variations in vegetation communities, there’s a high likelihood there are still some plants to be discovered up there in the land of the gliders.

Hairy Wattle Acacia hispidula has rough hairy small phyllodes (leaves)

Sticky Wattle Acacia viscidula is often found on mountains in the region

The endangered Short-leaved Beard Heath Styphelia recurvisepalus is known from very few locations in the region

Lemon-scented Tea Tree Leptospermum petersonii

Prickly Bottlebrush Melaleuca williamsii subsp. fletcheri has been found in a steep boulder-strewn gorge

Narrow-leaved Bottlebrush Melaleuca linearis is found in damp soil in pockets on rocky slopes

Leafless Globe Pea Sphaerolobium vimineum

Tall Golden Tip Goodia lotifolia is an uncommon shrub in the region

Beard Orchid Calochilus species